“Today, a letter signed by more than 100 people was submitted to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees urging Congress to protect the EPA Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) program. The signatories come from dozens of communities across the country impacted by PFC contamination in drinking water. EPA’s IRIS program develops critical assessments of chemicals, like PFCs, that support a wide variety of decision-making from clean-up levels at contaminated sites to setting standards that ensure clean drinking water.

As we have blogged about previously, IRIS is a non-regulatory program within EPA’s science arm that produces top-tier chemical hazard assessments used across EPA program and regional offices, other federal agencies, and state and local governments to protect public health. IRIS scientists are also called on during emergency and other rapid response situations, when technical expertise is paramount and time is of the essence.

In November, the Senate Appropriations committee Chairman posted a FY2018 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies bill that would eliminate this vital program…

The IRIS program is critical for understanding the health impacts posed by chemicals like PFCs and for providing scientific guidance to resource-strapped state and local governments. There is no room for eliminating or otherwise undermining the IRIS program.”